Endless return to man's first state has made.People often wonder why they don't succeed, aren't more disciplined or unable to find peace of mind. While each individual is unique, we do seem to share a common trait: We place limitations on ourselves and then wonder why we face one barrier after another.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
Return to the infinite.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
Return to the state of the boundless
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
There is no limit to what you can do.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
Utilizing Lin's translation, when we are boundless -- the state of nonbeing -- the world opens up to us and becomes one with a multitude of possibilities.
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Excuse me, if you are in a "state of nonbeing" what world and possibilities are there to open up? This sounds like nonsense. I don't understand "boundless" as the same as "nonbeing." This is "uncarved block" stuff, but that is not "nonbeing."
ReplyDeleteYou can interpret this verse in two ways: one about action in the world, and one about return to the Tao (the internal alchemy concepts.) But it's confusing to conflate these concepts.